50 Greatest Soap Actors: #26 Jonathan Jackson

AWARDS:
2005 Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor
2000 Coen Brothers Award For Duo Filmmakers
2000 Brooklyn Film Festival Award for Best Narrative Short - Drama
2000 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
2000 Young Hollywood Award win for Breakthrough Performance - Male
2000 YoungStar Award nomination for Best Young Actor/Performance in a Daytime TV Series
1999 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
1999 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Outstanding Young Lead Actor
1999 Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Day Time Serial - Young Performer
1999 YoungStar Award win for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Daytime TV Program
1999 YoungStar Award nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama Film
1998 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
1998 YoungStar Award win for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Daytime TV Program
1997 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
1997 Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Daytime Drama - Young Actor
1997 YoungStar Award win for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Daytime TV Program
1997 YoungStar Award nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Made For TV Movie
1996 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
1996 Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actor - TV Drama Series
1995 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series
1995 Soap Opera Digest Award win for Outstanding Child Actor

COMMENTS FROM THE PANEL:Connie Passalacqua Hayman (Marlena De Lacroix): Is the best thing on daytime right now, the only actor I'd ever say was too good for this medium. Literally Luke and Laura's true son or, even better, Tony Geary and Genie on GENERAL HOSPITAL rolled into one. The way he can do bottomless emotion leaves even moi speechless.

Roger Newcomb: Jonathan Jackson is a natural. Soaps have a bad habit of hiring teen actors who learn on the job, but Jackson, who came to GH as a pre-teen, was a true pro from the first very memorable scene. He's already the frontrunner to win an Emmy next year for his performance after finding out about Elizabeth and Nikolas. So many times he has made me say, "Wow." Daytime is "lucky" to have him back.

Damon L. Jacobs: From that first scene as Lucky in the Canadian diner, to his recent scenes of betrayal railing against Elizabeth and Nikolas, Jonathan adds a profound depth and spiritual gravity to the scripted words that is far beyond his years. His piercing bloodshot eyes shoot daggers far more deadly than Sonny's guns, and his smile encapsulates all that was celebrated about Luke and Laura's connection.

Patrick Erwin: An incredibly talented performer who brought young Lucky to life – and has taken Lucky from joy to rage. Jackson’s performance is always authentic and never phoned in.

COMMENTS FROM CO-STARS/CO-WORKERS/INDUSTRY:Anthony Geary: (works with Jackson on GENERAL HOSPITAL) Jonathan Jackson is not just a fine actor, he is an artist. He works from truth to truth like a painter adding brush stroke on brush stroke to produce his vision. Since he began his work on GENERAL HOSPITAL he has grown and matured into a formidable force in any scene he graces. His sense of truth and emotional honesty are among the best I've ever encountered in 40-odd years as an actor. I believe it was Sir Lawrence Olivier who said the art of acting is to teach the human heart a knowledge of itself. Mr. Jackson, more than anyone I know, has the capacity to teach knowledge of the human heart as a Master Class.

Jonathan Jackson should be SO MUCH higher on this list. He is a rare treasure in the daytime field, or, honestly, any genre of entertainment. His talent has awed me since he was a young boy going toe-to-toe with Anthony Geary.

Jonathan has the face of an angel but when Lucky is emotionally traumatized he can register some of the deepest, most profound and gutwrenching rage and despair you will ever witness. JJ shows Lucky's joy and the bottomless well of love in his heart so beautifully, in such a raw and exposed fashion, it sometimes hurts. He is never phony, never compromises a scene by giving less than his absolute all.

Jonathan knows when to rock it guns blazing and when to dial down a scene with an almost eerie calm and quiet delivery of lines. He is a master and has on several occassion schooled actors twice his age on how it's done.

I'm overjoyed to see Jonathan Jackson's name added to this list. He's was an amazing child/teen actor and is simply beyond words now as an adult. Whenever he's onscreen, he literally takes my breath away.

Of course, I would have preferred him placing higher on the list, as I believe it's completely deserved, but #26, especially given that he's been back with daytime only 6 months, is certainly nothing to sneeze at. That, and the fact it's rather noticeable he's the youngest actor on the list thus far. If that doesn't speak for his incredible talent, I don't know what does.

one of the greatest actors EVER. Including day, night, play, movie. He shows so much emotion. Such a fantastic actor. I do think when watching him; we are looking at the acting abilities of his mentor, Anthony Geary, and will be thinking of AG thirty years from now; if we are LUCKY enough to still be enjoying his acting abilities. WELCOME HOME LUCKY.